The gentleman’s guide to tropical fruit and what to do with them

Whether you’re a fan of fruit or include it in your diet to keep the peace between what your body wants (beer, pizza) and what it needs we’ve got news for your: you’re not doing it right. Oh, sure, you’re slicing and peeling and whatnot. But are you really eating it the way it’s supposed to be eaten. Fruit doesn’t always have to be raw and your meals don’t always have to be basic. So go ahead, grab some exotic tropical fruit on your next trip to the supermarket and be ready to be blown away by all that you can do with it.

1. Jackfruit

Worth the work Slice it in half and you’ll find pods containing large seeds. Scoop out the pods, discard the seeds and you’re ready to eat. Tim Meyers, chef at NYC’s new Hamptons-style restaurant Out East, says, “It tastes like an island vacation,” which is why he makes sea bass with jackfruit whenever he gets a good batch. To prepare… Heat a large skillet to medium and coat with coconut oil. Fry a mix of thinly sliced onion and garlic until tender, then add 1/4-inch slices of jackfruit and raise the heat. Once it caramelises, hit the pan with zest and juice from 3 limes, 2 tablespoons each of butter and coriander seeds and salt to taste. Add 2 drained cans of black-eyed peas. Warm through and set aside. Brush four individual portions of skinned bass with the oil, wrap in banana leaves and grill for 8 minutes (turning twice). Serve the peas with the fish.

2. Dragon Fruit

Easily tamed Looks like a fiery orb, tastes like a mild pear. It’s good raw – all these fruits are – but chef David Baron (of Salt Wood in California) thinks you should get more ambitious.

For crunchy salsa: Peel a raw dragon fruit while you roast a jalapeño and a small onion. Dice it all, mix it in a bowl and add salt and lime juice.

For a roasted dip: Rub whole fruit with grapeseed oil and salt, wrap in foil and pack into the embers of a grill until soft. Cut it open, scoop out the now-soft flesh and serve with chips.

3. Passion Fruit

Even better than the Drake song “It doesn’t have a scent, it has a perfume,” says Chef Kristen Essig of Coquette in New Orleans. Expect whiffs of pineapple and roasted apple as you scrape the flesh from 6 passion fruits into a blender. Puree with a splash of water, Essig says, then push through a fine-mesh sieve. Reduce the puree on your stove. Use it as a sauce for duck, or mix it with mustard and spread it onto the first turkey sandwich you’ll ever feel passionate about.

4. Mangosteen

Looks like garlic, tastes like nectar Thomas Raquel, executive pastry chef at Le Bernardin, likens them to “an overripe honeydew” and suggests a super-easy mangosteen sorbet: Puree the fruit with simple syrup and a squeeze of lemon, and spin in an ice cream machine